As David Caldwell concluded - there's no down-side to keeping Blaine Gabbert.

 

Kudos to Jedd Fisch. He's right, you know?

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000...-isnt-over

 

Even if Jacksonville grabs a quarterback in May's NFL draft, Jaguars offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch says it's far too early to write off Blaine Gabbert as a starting signal-caller.

 

 

"I don't know how you can say that," Fisch told the Jaguars' official website. "There were guys who are in the Pro Bowl who never had taken a snap in the NFL at 24. You start giving names and now it sounds like you're comparing him to those guys. I'm not saying that."

 

Gabbert was benched against the Rams in Week 5 and never made another start in his third season in the league. Not a good sign for his fourth, but Fisch -- along with coach Gus Bradley and general manager David Caldwell -- saw growth from Gabbert down the stretch.


"I don't know if he ever had been able to sit back and watch as the No. 2 -- I mean really sit back as the backup quarterback," Fisch said.


"When you're the backup quarterback, you get certain responsibilities: 'Hey, watch this film for us and tell us what you think about their pressure package. Put this cut-up together and let's talk about their zone drops. You tell us about their defensive backs.' The pressure goes away and the study of the game can come in."


Fisch lauded Gabbert's "maturity level," saying that his "professional manner" helped keep the team free from a negative "storyline" about the quarterback switch.

 

In Fisch's defense, he's right: Over the years, legions of productive passers have emerged later in their pro careers, but that inherent patience is fleeting in today's game.

 

If the entire NFL scouting community agreed that Blaine Gabbert was the top quarterback of his draft class and something else happens, then something else is going on. It could be the dozen knives the Gator-infested media stabbed in his back, or the amalgamation of pure hatred by Tebots focused on Blaine.

 

Whichever, the forces of evil lined up to nip Gabbert's career in the bud by throwing him to the wolves. Blaine is still alive, but also still getting a raw deal.

 

The Jaguars should decline to over-draft any of the clearly NON-elite quarterbacks in the 2014 NFL Draft and instead should focus on securing one of several elite offensive tackles.

 

 

 

 

 

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First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. - Mahatma Gandhi

 

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You really want us to tank for Jameis don't you? We get it, you're in love. I will never watch another game where Gabbert is starting. They're trying to hype Gabbert up as not being one of the worst QBs of all time, because they want a conditional 2020 7th rd pick for Gabbert.

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Do you and Jedd Fisch have the same supplier?  Are the prices good for whatever it is you are smoking?

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

As if we needed ammo on the "fire Fisch" thread....

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What else do you expect Fisch to say about one of his quarterbacks? He's not going to throw him under the bus like each one of us probably would. Gabbert is capable as a backup's backup going into next season. Just keep him until his contract is up and then let him go if nothing changes.

 

As for Fisch, let's cut him a break too. He's probably learning just as much as some of these rookies. 

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Ist round pick who is still under contract and has a guaranteed salary - therefore represents no additional cost to team.  HMMMM....

 

Throw him under the bus? Or give him a shot in camp and see if time on the bench made him want to work harder at manufacturing some pocket presence? 

He'll likely be cut after camp or back up a rookie in the worst case scenario.  

 

Seems cut and dry to me. Not concerned. 

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I think some people forget just how bad Blaine Gabbert actually is.

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THERE IS A SKELETON INSIDE OF YOU.

 

RIGHT NOW. THIS IS NOT A JOKE.

I think some people forget that we've had worse backups.

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"You do your own thing in your own time. You should be proud."

I love the guy. Why wouldn't he do this? The chance of Blaine becoming a star is miniscule, but still greater than the chance of Blaine doing anything good for the Jags if he's released. 

 

What does it hurt? It doesn't affect a win/loss record.

 

What's the big deal if Blaine is cut in August as opposed to January or February?

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.







 

he can say blaine is awesome and amazing  as long as I never have to sit thru another game with him as our starting quarterback

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This is a terrible decision. Blaine has had not one, not two, but THREE seasons to prove himself and each time he's wasted them. They probably are hoping that Gabbert can be good enough to become the next Trent Dilfer. Not good enough to lead a team to a SB on his own, but just good enough to put up 7, or 10 points in a game and than let the defense and special teams do all the rest.

 

I'm sick of all the excuses being made for Gabbert. At best, Gabbert is a solid 2nd string QB. At worst, he's an Arena Football League QB.

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What do people expect him to say.... that he sucks and we need to cut him?

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I think some people forget that we've had worse backups.

Who

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<B><FONT color=cyan>Jags this is your year</FONT></B>

Who

 

Cleo Lemon, Quinn Gray, Todd Bouman, Trent Edwards, etc.

 

OT: I see where Fisch is coming from, and I agree with him. I'd like to see him in camp and pre-season to see if "Gabberts growth" is what our team executives say it is.

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Ist round pick who is still under contract and has a guaranteed salary - therefore represents no additional cost to team.  HMMMM....

 

Throw him under the bus? Or give him a shot in camp and see if time on the bench made him want to work harder at manufacturing some pocket presence? 

He'll likely be cut after camp or back up a rookie in the worst case scenario.  

 

Seems cut and dry to me. Not concerned. 

There lies the problem.

 

Gabbert always looks good and practice and in preseason.  When the big boy pants come on and the game matter that is when he is at his worst.  He will always be a training camp/preseasons star but when it's game time he just stinks.

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I won't take Fisch's obvious troll bait. 

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As if we needed ammo on the "fire Fisch" thread....

Anybody with a brain realizes firing Fisch after one season is ridiculous.

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This staff...be it Caldwell, Gus, Fisch, or Babich on down has always been honest and transparent with their comments. TC and JDR were masters of coach speak, and the fans and media hated them for it. Gene Smith too was the master of saying something without saying something (except he's not as articulate as TC and JDR in communicating his points), and they hated him too for it. Now you get a group that actually tells you how it is, and fans/media want them to be speaking "lip-service" instead. Here's their track record:

 

On Tebow: Even if released.

 

On Blaine (off-season): We like what we see in him and we'd like for him to win the job. He did, so he started the season.

 

On Blaine and Henne (during season): It's not about the injuries. We're starting Chad because he gives us a chance.

 

On Branch (early on when he was struggling and everyone wanted him gone): We like what we're seeing in him in practice and we think he's close. Few weeks later, Branch gets sacks/pressures in bunches.

 

On Alualu: Again, Babich and Gus talked about how they like what he's doing. Later in the year, you start to see him improve.

 

On Denard: He looks to be coming on. We want to see him get more opportunities. He does...and then fumbles it away.

 

On Denard pt 2: Can't put the ball on the ground. Need to work on ball security. Denard practically disappears in the offense for a few games.

 

There's other examples, but these are the ones that stand out. Point is, this staff has never sugar-coated any of their comments. If they think someone is doing good, they'll talk about it. If they think someone's not doing good, they'll say so, but in a manner where it is taken constructively.

 

Gus has made similar comments about Josh Evans also (something along the lines of playing fast, but also smart...after a key mistake in a blown coverage).

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What do people expect him to say.... that he sucks and we need to cut him?

I'd rather he not say anything at all, unless it's for trade bait.  We'll see on that front.  But it won't inspire any confidence in this regime if Gabbert wins the starting job at any point in the future, and doesn't immediately produce amazing results.

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

As if we needed ammo on the "fire Fisch" thread....

 

Hey, when I was led to believe that the Jaguars were going to quit Blaine Gabbert I was furious at Fisch for being incapable of developing him.

 

If Caldwell, Bradley, and Fisch have candidly refuted the idea of dumping Blaine, I have regained respect for each of them.

 

Those weaklings ready to cut bait or trash Gabbert are somewhere between blind and short-sighted, or simply passively aggressive Gator fans angry about Tebow.

 

Developing Blaine Gabbert was job one for Gus and Jedd. It was refreshing to read that David Caldwell will continue to build the roster with Blaine in mind.

 

At the very worst, Blaine resumes as the starter next season and doesn't get it done. Meantime, we will have used our number three over-all first round pick on an elite offensive tackle and not a non-elite quarterback or media-hyped non-elite defensive end. 

 

At the very best, we are free to draft a second elite offensive tackle like Jake Matthews or Taylor Lewan and suddenly we find the problem with Blaine Gabbert was actually poor pass protection. What if we can get both Matthews and Lewan? Luke Joeckel at left tackle, Jake Matthews steps into his dear old dad's position at left guard, and we insert Taylor Lewan at right tackle?

 

Why wouldn't we want to see Blaine Gabbert grow into the franchise quarterback pro experts claimed was the top quarterback in his draft class? If Blaine doesn't finally mature after year four, we have made remarkable progress in developing the offensive line with three tremendously elite offensive linemen capable of carrying the weight of a fresh-faced rookie quarterback like Jameis Winston or Sean Mannion.

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First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. - Mahatma Gandhi

 

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